Highfields Spencer Academy, Derby
Highfields Spencer Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Derby, part of The Spencer Academies Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. It was 95% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Highfields Spencer Academy in detail
Getting a place at Highfields Spencer Academy
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put Highfields Spencer Academy as their first choice and 61 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Highfields Spencer Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Highfields Spencer Academy are Griffe Field Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 90% maths); Carlyle Infant and Nursery Academy (1.1 miles, Good); Brookfield Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 74% maths); and Gayton Junior School (1.2 miles, Good, 89% reading, 91% maths).
Griffe Field Primary SchoolCarlyle Infant and Nursery AcademyBrookfield Primary SchoolGayton Junior School
The trust
Highfields Spencer Academy is one of 27 schools run by The Spencer Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
66 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Highfields Spencer Academy (as of September 2025): 64% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (82%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
45% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (40%), Asian (32%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 32 pupils (12.4%) received SEN support and 7 (2.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Peartree Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Highfields Spencer Academy (opposite), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Highfields Spencer Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Highfields Spencer Academy issued 5 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Highfields Spencer Academy are Derby Moor Spencer Academy (0.9 miles), Littleover Community School (0.9 miles) and City of Derby Academy (1.8 miles).
Derby Moor Spencer AcademyLittleover Community SchoolCity of Derby Academy
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Highfields Spencer Academy excels at creating a caring, respectful environment where pupils thrive and feel safe. The school has rebuilt its curriculum to be ambitious and well-structured, with excellent support for early reading and pupils with additional needs. Staff are skilled at teaching new concepts clearly and checking pupils' understanding, while maintaining calm, purposeful behaviour throughout the school.
Key Strengths
- Pupils are happy, safe and benefit from strong pastoral support with clear 'RISE' values of respect, inspire, success and empathy
- Reading is prioritised with effective phonics teaching and extra support for those who need it
- Pupils with SEND have their needs met with precision and care, with effective use of resources to help them access the curriculum
- Behaviour is calm and purposeful with consistent management by staff
- Very positive attendance rates achieved through effective systems and family engagement
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, the curriculum does not sufficiently account for what pupils have previously learned, so staff do not always build securely on pupils' prior understanding
- The school should continue to refine its curriculum to ensure content is well sequenced and builds progressively
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils' safety prioritised and pupils taught strategies to be safe in the community and online.
Extracurricular Activities
netball, football, dance, karate, residential visits, camping in school grounds, educational visits to space centre and castles
Highfields Spencer Academy is a primary school where pupils are happy and safe, with the school being ambitious for all pupils to succeed and thrive. The school has made tangible improvements since its previous inspection and provides a broad, well-sequenced curriculum with strong pastoral support.
At a Glance
22.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
66 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
28.4
KS2
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Highfields Spencer Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Highfields Spencer Academy.
- Junior Adventures Group @ Highfield DE73At the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Highfields Spencer Academy is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Derbyshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Highfields Spencer Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Highfields Spencer Academy is in Derbyshire; for families living there:
- Derbyshire's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy 2026 to 2027 - 465KB
- How to apply: Apply for home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Highfields Spencer Academy
Will you get a place at Highfields Spencer Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Highfields Spencer Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Highfields Spencer Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Highfields Spencer Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Highfields Spencer Academy for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derbyshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
95%
Near capacity
200 pupils
210 places
10 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Derby
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Derby
Across Derbyshire council
Places available
9,875
Applications
7,189
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Derbyshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
15.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
258
Total Pupils
142
Boys
116
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
21.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,631
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,329
Per pupil
£1355k
Total funding
£77k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
8.0%
Persistent absence
175
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Highfields Spencer Academy
Questions parents ask about Highfields Spencer Academy
What is Highfields Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?
Highfields Spencer Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Highfields Spencer Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Highfields Spencer Academy is oversubscribed, Derbyshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Highfields Spencer Academy?
Highfields Spencer Academy was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Highfields Spencer Academy?
Classes at Highfields Spencer Academy average 28.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Highfields Spencer Academy?
Highfields Spencer Academy has around 258 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Highfields Spencer Academy?
4% of sessions were missed at Highfields Spencer Academy in 2024/25. 8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Highfields Spencer Academy?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Highfields Spencer Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Highfields Spencer Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Junior Adventures Group @ Highfield DE73 (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Highfields Spencer Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Highfields Spencer Academy?
Highfields Spencer Academy is at Tutbury Avenue, Littleover, Derby, Derbyshire, DE23 3UX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)